Saul, Israel's first King, was directed by God to utterly destroy the Amalekites. God was specific. He said "everything," man, woman, child, suckling baby, every animal, everything. You would suppose that Saul would understand that "everything" meant "everything," and that would include Agag, the King of the Amalekite's. What was Saul's reason for taking Agag alive, for bringing him to Israel to imprison him there? Was it for sport? Was Agag a prize in which Saul could take glory for himself? Whatever was King Saul's reason, it cost him his Throne.

v.10: Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, "It is a thing for which I repent that I have made Saul to be the king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments."

Samuel conveyed God's message to Saul, saying in content, "Why have you disobeyed what I instructed you do?" Saul said to Samuel that he had done what the Lord had told him to do. What the truth really was, is that Saul had allowed the fighting men to keep alive the best of the sheep and oxen so they could be 'sacrificed' to the Lord as a burnt offering, and Agag was alive and in Saul's possession. Later Saul did kill Agag, but it was not enough to save his Throne.

It is so easy to see Saul's fallacy. His self-deception is blatantly clear to us. Why can we not see our own fallacious tweaking of the truth? Could it be for the same reason that King Saul did it? Could it be that we think we know better than God knows, therefore, we don't call sin what God calls sin? We give 'token effort' and call it completed effort.

v. 23: "Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry."

Rebellion and stubbornness cost Saul his Throne. What will it cost you? What will it cost me?

Ramona 07/07/2010

Ramona, Master in Ministry Arts, BA in Biblical Studies, I am an Ordained Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.